amphibious warfare
A military operation launched from the sea by naval and landing
forces which involve landing on a hostile shore.

blitzkrieg
Method of fast-moving, air-and-land warfare first used extensively
in World War II. Used effectively by German armies invading Poland
in 1939 and the Low Countries and France in 1940. U.S. Gen. George
C. Patton employed blitzkrieg tactics effectively in 1944.

Operation Sea Lion
Code name for German invasion plans of Great Britain, postponed
indefinitely in October 1940, after the Luftwaffe (German air force)
failed to win the Battle of Britain.

Operation Barbarossa
Code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, launched
on June 22, 1941.

Operation Crusader
Code name for British offensive in North Africa (November 1941)
that pushed German Gen. Erwin Rommel back to El Agheila in Libya,
where he had begun his African offensive a year earlier.

Operation Torch
Code name for Allied North African campaign for landing on Atlantic
and Mediterranean coasts in 1942, the first American appearance
in the European theater of war.

Operation Overlord
Code name for the Allied invasion of Europe, launched across the
English Channel, under the supreme command of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower,
on June 6, 1944 (known as D-Day).

Omaha Beach
Code name for one of the American invasion sites in Normandy on
June 6, 1944. During the operation, American troops met heavy German
fire before securing a bridgehead.

Utah Beach
Code name for the westernmost landing site in Normandy on June 6,
1944. Assaulted by U.S. troops of the U.S. VII Corps under the command
of Gen. Omar Bradley.

Operation Market
Allied airborne effort aimed at capturing the bridgehead at Arnhem
in the Netherlands, in conjunction with the land operation known
as Garden. Site of British defeat in 1944.

Operation Valkyrie
German plan to mobilize reserve army units and to seize control
after the planned assassination of Adolph Hitler, in July 1944.
The plan failed and its leaders, including Count von Stauffenberg,
were executed.

Ultra
British intelligence operation that cracked the German secret code
during World War II. The collection phase of Ultra consisted of
intercepting German radio messages (which had been encrypted by
their Enigma machines) and passing them through a secret computerlike
device that rendered them into clear German. The intelligence gathered
was passed on to Allied officials for utilization on the battlefield.

V-1 Vergeltungswaffen, weapons of vengeance. This pilotless
buzz bomb was used by the Germans to attack London from sites in
German-occupied France beginning in 1944.

Manhattan Project
Code name for the U.S. effort during World War II to produce the
atomic bomb. Much of the early research was done in New York City
by refugee physicists in the United States.

World War II: Military Operations
From a strategic perspective, what is most significant about World War II
is that it featured the first use of truly global tactics for offensive
operations. Military operations launched from the sea on to hostile shores
 amphibious warfare  proved to be a successful strategy during
the war, as shown by Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy
in June 1944. The surprise attack, as demonstrated by the Japanese bombing
of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, was also critical to military victory.

How significant
was the element of surprise for World War II's offensive operations?
What strategies were used to confuse the enemy?

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Documents
Related to World War IIhttp://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/ww2.htm
Hundreds of documents related to World War II are cataloged by year.
Prepared by a professor of international affairs at Mount Holyoke
College.

Produce
For Victoryhttp://americanhistory.si.edu/victory/
An exhibition of posters related to World War II, Posters on the
Home Front (1941-45), includes brief descriptions and links to related
Web sites. From the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian
Institution.

NOVA Online
: Holocaust on Trialhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/holocaust/
Online companion to NOVA program originally aired in Oct. 2000 examining
a Holocaust denial trial in Britain. Features a time line of Nazi
abuses, a narrative of the trial, a section on historical revisionism,
links, and teacher's guide.

USAF Museum
- Japanese Balloon Bombs in WWIIhttp://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/history/wwii/jbb.htm
Article on the Japanese balloon bombs used on the western coast
of the United States during World War II. Includes a photograph
and links to related Web sites. From the Air Force Museum at Wright
Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

The National
World War II Memorialhttp://www.wwiimemorial.com/
Background on the World War II Memorial being built in Washington,
D.C. Describes the project's purpose and development. Includes pictures
of the design and of the building site. Maintained by the American
Battle Monuments Commission.

USAF Museum
World War II History Galleryhttp://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/history/wwii/wwii.htm
History of the Air Force in World War II includes maps, photographs,
and aircraft links. Extensive data on European and Pacific theaters
as well as on women and celebrities in the Air Force. From the USAF
Museum at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

American
Experience / War Lettershttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/warletters/index.html
Materials accompanying the film 'War Letters,' aired in 2001 by
the Public Broadcasting System, include a film synopsis, transcript,
bibliography, U.S. military time line, and text of select letters
featured in the film.

20th Century
Historyhttp://www.cannylink.com/history20thcentury.htm
Vast collection of annotated links to Web resources for 20th-century
history, ranging from all major wars and crises to NATO to the Titanic
to Mao Zedong. From the link promotion service of Web-hosting company
Cannylink.

United States
Military Operationshttp://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/ops/index.html
Extensive guide to American wars and military operations with U.S.
participation, from the American Revolution to the late 20th century.
Detailed profiles of operations, with links to related resources.
From the American Federation of Scientists.

Imperial
War Museum - the national museum of war and conflicthttp://www.iwm.org.uk/
Web site of the Imperial War Museum in London, a unique museum in
its coverage of conflicts, especially those involving Great Britain
and the Commonwealth, from WWI to the present day.

HyperWar:
World War II on the World Wide Webhttp://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/
History of World War II, focusing on military/service histories,
politics and diplomacy, and the Pacific and European theaters. Includes
an extensive bibliography and a glossary.

WW2 Peoples Warhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2/
BBC Online provides a detailed article on daily life during World
War II, with photos, statistical graphs, and links to related materials.

NOVA Online : Decoding Nazi Secretshttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/decoding/
Online companion to NOVA program originally broadcast in November
1999 focusing on Allied quest to decode Nazi ciphers during WWII.
Includes a wealth of interactive materials on cryptology and WWII
espionage; with teacher's guide and links.

Intelligence
Resource Programhttp://www.fas.org/irp/index.html
The Federation of American Scientists' Intelligence Resource Program
offers a wealth of information on intelligence systems and programs,
agencies and budgets, documents and records, and satellite and other
images. Links to related Web sites.

Dr. Edward
Tellerhttp://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/tel0int-1
Part of the Academy of Achievement Web site, these pages provide
a biography, interview, and profile of Dr. Edward Teller, with illustrations,
audio, and video. Extensive, interesting, and highly recommended.

LANL Research
Library: Historyhttp://library.lanl.gov/infores/history/
Los Alamos National Laboratory' s Research Library provides detailed
information regarding the development of the first atomic bomb at
Los Alamos.

Atomic Archive
- Explore the History, Science, and Consequences of the Atomic Bombhttp://www.atomicarchive.com/
Online companion to the CD-ROM 'Atomic Archive' explores the complex
history surrounding the invention of the atomic bomb. Includes biographies
of key scientists, a time line, documents, maps, photos and videos,
a teacher's guide, and more.

Dwight D.
Eisenhower Library & Museumhttp://www.eisenhower.utexas.edu/
The Web site of the Eisenhower Library provides extensive information
about the life and times of the 34th president. Site includes texts
of selected speeches and guides to library resources and events.